Left-wing comedian and former TV host Chelsea Handler recently attacked one of the most sacred principles of the American legal system — the right to trial by an impartial jury — by blasting the notion of providing a fair trial to Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis officer accused of killing George Floyd last May and whose trial is currently underway.
Chauvin is charged with murder and manslaughter. Handler described the trial as “pathetic” before suggesting a video of the event should suffice to prove his guilt.
“So pathetic that there is a trial to prove that Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd when there is video of him doing so,” Handler tweeted Tuesday.
Shortly after, in a reply to a tweet deeming a trial necessary for the justice system to function, Handler suggested all murder trials be “skipped” when a video is available.
“Perhaps we skip trials when there is audio and video footage of the murder,” she tweeted.
The 46-year-old comedian’s comments were blasted by others on social media.
“What’s truly remarkable is that she tweeted this on purpose,” trial lawyer and columnist Kurt Schlichter said.
“Worst take I’ve seen on Chauvin trial,” president and founder of Eurasia Group Ian Bremmer wrote. “And that’s a high bar.”
“I am afraid she actually means this,” political analyst Brit Hume said.
“Who needs trials?!” Claremont Institute media manager Nick Short said.
“No more trials,” quipped journalist Glenn Greenwald.
“Chilling,” wrote prominent political commentator Andrew Sullivan.
“Criticizing due process is a bold move for someone who claims to be in favor of criminal justice reform,” blogger Lauren Chen said. “But hey, Chauvin was white AND a cop, so just hang him I guess.”
“So pathetic that we are a country of laws which gives rights to the accused and does not simply rely on our own gut and the mob for justice,” quipped writer Drew Holden.
“Eichmann, the Nazi genocidal murderer was smuggled out of Argentina by the Mossad to stand trial in Israel. That’s because deontological first principles should never be violated,” wrote Professor Gad Saad tweeted. “Oh by the way I’m Jewish. Your stupidity is a crime against humanity.”
“Chelsea Handler wants to bring back the rule of law of the Jim Crow south circa 1930,” political commentator Ian Miles Cheong said.
“This tweet and its numerous supporters are all you need to know about the failure of American education,” Kay Hymowitz, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute tweeted. “Bring back civics!”
“Rule of law, due process deemed ‘pathetic’ by virtue signaling lady who doesn’t think she would ever be falsely accused of anything,” Inez Stepman, senior policy analyst at the Independent Women’s Forum said.
“You’re likely a communist if you’re not in favor of trials, but in this case, I think that was already clear,” communications strategist Caleb Hull tweeted.
“Perhaps you take .02 seconds of thinking through the implications of this, particularly for the communities you think you’re advocating for in this tweet,” podcast host, author and conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey wrote.
“Sounds like North Korea may be a better country for you,” wrote one Twitter user said.
“Seriously the totalitarian left has gone straight to ‘Skip the trial,’” another Twitter user wrote. “Authoritarians never change.”
“Handler is a reminder of how the Constitution protects the individuals from the masses as well as from the government,” wrote yet another Twitter user.
“So she defends to her death racist bigot Louis Farrakhan. But doesn’t want a police officer accused of a major crime to have full exercise his Constitutional rights as an American. Yup, that’s Chelsea Handler in a nutshell,” attorney and political commentator Debbie Schlussel tweeted.
“Um, again, why is she famous?” she added.
“Yeah, due process is so antiquated,” journalist Zach Weissmueller said. “Just spitballing here, but maybe we can convict or acquit based on the Twitter likes vs. replies ratio?”
“Who needs due process when we have blue checkmarks?” asked a Twitter user.
Many noted the role of modern “wokeness” in Handler’s suggestion.
“One of the main problems with wokeness is performative woke whites become so addicted to the re-racialization narrative that they can no longer tell right from wrong,” Newsweek deputy opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon wrote. “This tweet perfectly encapsulates that problem.”
“Umm when did it become woke to oppose basic due process in criminal procedure?” asked libertarian-conservative journalist Brad Polumbo.
“I am thankful we live in a country where if you, Chelsea, are ever accused of a crime, you will receive a full and thorough trial and robust defense,” Polumbo added in a second tweet.
“A major problem with wokeness is that performative woke whites become so addicted to the narrative that it creates a spiral of virtue signaling, leading to insane stuff like this,” Senior Research Analyst for The Club for Growth Andrew Follett wrote.
“I’m honestly not sure what’s more disturbing, if Handler really has gone full ‘people whom I think are guilty don’t deserve trials’ or if she’s ‘just’ feels compelled to say that to maintain woke ‘street cred’ with her fellow deranged Libs in a race to the bottom,” he added.
Handler has a history of irresponsible and inflammatory statements.
In October, Handler stoked anti-law enforcement sentiment by claiming black men and women are “regularly murdered by police” in the United States.
In May, Handler blamed “the racist right” for rising extremism and hate by leftists, saying those who “think … murder is reasonable” should “vote Republican.”
Last February, Handler was criticized after falsely suggesting former President Donald Trump only exonerates or pardons white people, despite him having chosen blacks and Native Americans for clemency.
Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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